Southampton Airport is celebrating the 21st birthday of its passenger terminal, which was opened in December 1994 by HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York. Traffic at the airport has more than quadrupled since the opening, from 450,000 passengers flying to 15 destinations to 1.8 million passengers in 2015 flying to 40 destinations.
When the new terminal was first opened in 1994 it won multiple awards including the Royal Fine Art Commission and Sunday Times Building of Year Award, the British Construction Industry Award 1995 and the Structured Steel Design Award.
Managing director of Southampton Airport, Dave Lees, said, “Southampton Airport is a major success story for this region. We are currently the top airport in the UK for customer service and have maintained the reputation of an easy, fast and friendly airport despite growing passenger numbers and destinations. We are situated in an excellent location and have seen growth in people flying in to join cruise ships in the port as well as those choosing to use the airport as an easy way to get to London via fast rail links. This airport terminal was highly acclaimed for its design when it opened 21 years ago, and it still looks good today. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in helping to make Southampton Airport the success that it is today.”
The 21st birthday was celebrated at the airport with two extra large cakes.